Cleaning device having a detachable handle



Feb. 20, 1962 H. H. HENSON' CLEANING DEVICE HAVING A DETACHABLE HANDLEFiled June 4, 1959 INVENTOR. MM) flf/vso/v United States Patent "iceCLEANING DEVECE HAVING A DETACHABLE HANDLE Harry H. Henson, Box 5%,Urania, La. Fiied .inne 4, 1959, Ser. No. 815,093 1 Claim. ill. 15-145)This invention relates to brooms and the handles therefor and means fordisconnecting [the handles with respect to the broom heads or othercleaning structures.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide acombination of a cleaning structure, such as a broom head equipped witha stump, in combination with a handle having a socket structure fordisposition over the stump and clamp means for firmly securing thesocket to said stump.

Another object of the invention is to provide the combination of ahandle and a cleaning element and detachable means between the elementand the handle, to the end, that the handle may be used time after time,as the elements become discarded from wear and tear, thus minimizing theshipment of integral cleaning structures, such as brooms, which requirespecial packing and shipping costs that would be minimized, if only thecleaning element itself were being shipped, thus resulting in a lowerexpense, a saving to the purchaser as well as perhaps some increase inprofit to the retailer.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a cleaning elementand a handle, with means whereby the handle can be disconnected from thecleaning element and retained for attachment to new cleaning elementswhen former elements have become worn and discarded.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a combinationcleaning element, whereby the handle thereof can be disconnected andsaved for future use in conneotion with cleaning elements, thus savingexpense to the producer, distributor and consumer, inasmuch as cleaningelement handles such as broom handles are costly and the cost ofshipment with the same integral with the cleaning element, costlybecause of the bulk packaging necessary.

These and various other objects and advantages of the invention willbecome apparent to the reader of the following description.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view showing a broom, a handle, and thecoupling of the instant invention between the two.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing a broom headstump and broom handle connected by one form of coupling.

FIGURE 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of FIG- URE 2.

Referring to the drawing wherein like numerals designate like parts, itcan be seen that numeral 11 denotes a short handle stump attached to abroom head 10.

Numeral 12 denotes an elongated handle, usually of wood and the cost ofthese handles has increased tremendously down through the years and asis known, are usable for various purposes by broom users, when sawedfrom the usual broom head. Many people save these handles for possiblefuture use such as closet rods upon which cost hangers can be hooked.However, the purpose of the present invention is to permit the saving ofsome of these handles to be used in connection with replaced broomheads, and at this time, it can be stated that when reference is made tobroom heads, it is tobe construed as encompassing a form of cleaningelement or structure.

FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 show the preferred form of the 3,921,547 PatentedFeb. 20, l62

invention which involves a sleeve 26 having a longitudinal slit 27 forapproximately one-half of its length and this widens out to a slit 28,the edge portions of which are farther spaced apart to permit expansionof this portion of the sleeve 2r: in order to embrace the stump 11 of abroom head 10. The sleeve 26 has diametrically opposed openings thereinto receive rivets 19 or the like, which are disposed through the broomhead end of the handle 12, to permanently fasten the sleeve to thehandle. About one half of the sleeve projects beyond the adjacentterminal of the handle 12, as shown in FIG- URE 2.

The lower end of the sleeve 26 has an inwardly formed cut-out 29. Thiscan be stamped so as to provide a pair of ears 3!), 31. One end of alever 32 is pivoted as at 33 to the car 31 and a link 34 has one endpivotally connected to the ear 30 and its other end to a medial portionof the lever 32. When the lever 32 is swung to an outward position, thelower portion of the sleeve 26 is opened sufliciently to receive thestump 11 of the broom head It When the stump is fully inserted andabutting the adjacent end of the broom handle 12, the lever 32 can beswung to a position shown in FIGURE 3, thus throwing the adjacent end ofthe link 34, oil-center with respect to the pivot 33, thus holding theslotted or lower end portion of the sleeve 26 in firm clamped relationwith respect to the stump 11.

Thus it can be seen that while the broom handle 12, is rigidly connectedto the broom head, the handle can be easily and almost effortelesslydisconnected to permit connection to a new broom head structure.

While the foregoing description sets forth the invention in specificterms, it is to be understood that numerous changes in the shape, sizeand materials may be resorted to without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

Having described the invention what is claimed as new is:

A cleaning device comprising a head portion, a stump handle partextending from said head portion, on elongated handle element, and meansfor connecting said handle element and said stump, said means comprisinga split sleeve having permanent fasteners extending transversely throughsaid sleeve and through said handle element for permanently securingsaid sleeve to said handle element, a portion of said split of saidsleeve being cut away to provide spaced edge portions, outturned earspositioned on said spaced edge portions, and means clampingly engagingsaid ears for temporarily clampingly engaging said sturnp handle, saidmeans embodying a lever having one end pivotally connected to one ofsaid ears, and a link having one end pivotally connected to the other ofsaid ears, said link being engageable by said lever and shiftable whenengaged by said lever to an over center position clamping said earstogether.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 47,388Briggs Apr. 25, 1865 505,252 Phillips Sept. 19, 1893 669,805 Potter Mar.12, 1901 1,013,438 Post Jan. 2, 1912 1,433,381 Kirkpatrick Oct. 24, 19221,807,559 Smith May 26, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS 37,643 Austria June 11,1909 177,762 Germany Apr. 4, 1906 292,350 Switzerland Nov. 2, 1953501,568 Italy Nov. 24, 1954

